We are very conscious about the types of products we use in our house and try to choose natural options whenever possible. However, one area where we have not yet moved to a natural alternative is our dogs Flea + Tick prevention. We have always begrudgingly used the standard commercial products despite concerns about what chemicals they contain. Look no further than these product’s warning labels to understand this concern: “causes substantial but temporary eye injury”, “harmful if swallowed or absorbed through skin”, “avoid contact with skin”, “if ingested by a cat that grooms a recently treated dog…this product may have serious, harmful effects”. WHAT?!- If I shouldn’t touch it, and I need to keep my cats away after application, why am I putting this directly on my dogs skin? Furthermore they work primarily by killing fleas and ticks that land on your dog as opposed to repelling them in the first place.
All that said, we were pretty excited when Pet Naturals of Vermont contacted us to review their all natural Flea + Tick Repellent Wipe. A quick glance at the label and oh my, Pet Naturals, you had me at Lemongrass oil…
Excited for a natural alternative!
Product Description
Pet Naturals of Vermont Flea + Tick repellent is an all-natural Flea + Tick repellent with no drugs or synthetic chemicals. It comes in both a spray bottle and a convenient wipe form. The primary ingredients include lemongrass, cinnamon, sesame and Castor oils which have been used by indigenous people of the Amazon for hundreds of years. These oils perform as natural pesticides and repellents as well as by masking the scent of your dog from insects. The wipes are to be applied every 2-3 days or after the animal gets wet. They are even biodegradable.
Product Review
These wipes come in a 60 count easy to dispense container. They have a fairly strong, but pleasant scent and we found that our dogs were not at all opposed to being rubbed down with them. We typically used one wipe for our two golden retrievers and found that they did not leave behind a wet or greasy appearance. We applied the wipes before walks or hikes at the park so that we could immediately see how well they repelled insects.
Harley ready for application…
After using the Flea + Tick Repellent for a few weeks now, we have been very pleased with their effectiveness. We did not notice bugs swarming near them while outside or notice any fleas or ticks upon examination afterward. Everyone we met always commented on how nicely the dogs smelled as well. The wipes were easy to apply and I felt completely comfortable putting this product on my pet. So comfortable in fact, a gave a quick swipe on my own arms to see if it kept the mosquitoes away (spoiler alert: it did the trick).
As you can see he puts up a big fight!
Final Thoughts
Hearing about and testing a natural Flea + Tick solution has pushed me to do a great deal of research on the standard chemical concoctions. After application they reside in your dogs sebaceous glands, where they periodically replenish onto the dogs skin and coat. Their mode of action is to then affect the nervous system of Fleas and Ticks. I have found myself wondering: Would I consider using a bug spray that stays in your system for a month at a time? Furthermore that affects the parasites nervous system?
We are now seriously considering dropping our standard chemical Flea + Tick product in favor of Pet Naturals of Vermont Flea + Tick Repellent wipes. Either way we will continue to use these wipes as a repellent. I love the idea of repelling beforehand as opposed to killing afterward and it makes sense to me that a product should be applied as needed onto the skin as opposed to residing inside the body for a predetermined amount of time.
We love that Pet Naturals of Vermont has developed a natural alternative to pest control for your pets and we were very pleased with their effectiveness. It was great to be able to use a product designed to keep bugs away without worry or safety concerns. I would definitely recommend that you give Pet Naturals of Vermont Flea + Tick Repellent wipes a try for yourself!
